TY - JOUR

T1 - The European COPHES/DEMOCOPHES project

T2 - Towards transnational comparability and reliability of human biomonitoring results

AU - Schindler, Birgit Karin

AU - Esteban, Marta

AU - Koch, Holger Martin

AU - Castano, Argelia

AU - Koslitz, Stephan

AU - Cañas, Ana

AU - Casteleyn, Ludwine

AU - Kolossa-Gehring, Marike

AU - Schwedler, Gerda

AU - Schoeters, Greet

AU - Hond, Elly Den

AU - Sepai, Ovnair

AU - Exley, Karen

AU - Bloemen, Louis

AU - Horvat, Milena

AU - Knudsen, Lisbeth E

AU - Joas, Anke

AU - Joas, Reinhard

AU - Biot, Pierre

AU - Aerts, Dominique

AU - Lopez, Ana

AU - Huetos, Olga

AU - Katsonouri, Andromachi

AU - Maurer-Chronakis, Katja

AU - Kasparova, Lucie

AU - Vrbík, Karel

AU - Rudnai, Peter

AU - Naray, Miklos

AU - Guignard, Cedric

AU - Fischer, Marc E

AU - Ligocka, Danuta

AU - Janasik, Beata

AU - Reis, M Fátima

AU - Namorado, Sónia

AU - Pop, Cristian

AU - Dumitrascu, Irina

AU - Halzlova, Katarina

AU - Fabianova, Eleonora

AU - Mazej, Darja

AU - Tratnik, Janja Snoj

AU - Berglund, Marika

AU - Jönsson, Bo

AU - Lehmann, Andrea

AU - Crettaz, Pierre

AU - Frederiksen, Hanne

AU - Nielsen, Flemming

AU - McGrath, Helena

AU - Nesbitt, Ian

AU - De Cremer, Koen

AU - Vanermen, Guido

AU - Koppen, Gudrun

AU - Wilhelm, Michael

AU - Becker, Kerstin

AU - Angerer, Jürgen

N1 - Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

PY - 2014/7

Y1 - 2014/7

N2 - COPHES/DEMOCOPHES has its origins in the European Environment and Health Action Plan of 2004 to "develop a coherent approach on human biomonitoring (HBM) in Europe". Within this twin-project it was targeted to collect specimens from 120 mother-child-pairs in each of the 17 participating European countries. These specimens were investigated for six biomarkers (mercury in hair; creatinine, cotinine, cadmium, phthalate metabolites and bisphenol A in urine). The results for mercury in hair are described in a separate paper. Each participating member state was requested to contract laboratories, for capacity building reasons ideally within its borders, carrying out the chemical analyses. To ensure comparability of analytical data a Quality Assurance Unit (QAU) was established which provided the participating laboratories with standard operating procedures (SOP) and with control material. This material was specially prepared from native, non-spiked, pooled urine samples and was tested for homogeneity and stability. Four external quality assessment exercises were carried out. Highly esteemed laboratories from all over the world served as reference laboratories. Web conferences after each external quality assessment exercise functioned as a new and effective tool to improve analytical performance, to build capacity and to educate less experienced laboratories. Of the 38 laboratories participating in the quality assurance exercises 14 laboratories qualified for cadmium, 14 for creatinine, 9 for cotinine, 7 for phthalate metabolites and 5 for bisphenol A in urine. In the last of the four external quality assessment exercises the laboratories that qualified for DEMOCOPHES performed the determinations in urine with relative standard deviations (low/high concentration) of 18.0/2.1% for cotinine, 14.8/5.1% for cadmium, 4.7/3.4% for creatinine. Relative standard deviations for the newly emerging biomarkers were higher, with values between 13.5 and 20.5% for bisphenol A and between 18.9 and 45.3% for the phthalate metabolites. Plausibility control of the HBM results of all participating countries disclosed analytical shortcomings in the determination of Cd when using certain ICP/MS methods. Results were corrected by reanalyzes. The COPHES/DEMOCOPHES project for the first time succeeded in performing a harmonized pan-European HBM project. All data raised have to be regarded as utmost reliable according to the highest international state of the art, since highly renowned laboratories functioned as reference laboratories. The procedure described here, that has shown its success, can be used as a blueprint for future transnational, multicentre HBM projects.

AB - COPHES/DEMOCOPHES has its origins in the European Environment and Health Action Plan of 2004 to "develop a coherent approach on human biomonitoring (HBM) in Europe". Within this twin-project it was targeted to collect specimens from 120 mother-child-pairs in each of the 17 participating European countries. These specimens were investigated for six biomarkers (mercury in hair; creatinine, cotinine, cadmium, phthalate metabolites and bisphenol A in urine). The results for mercury in hair are described in a separate paper. Each participating member state was requested to contract laboratories, for capacity building reasons ideally within its borders, carrying out the chemical analyses. To ensure comparability of analytical data a Quality Assurance Unit (QAU) was established which provided the participating laboratories with standard operating procedures (SOP) and with control material. This material was specially prepared from native, non-spiked, pooled urine samples and was tested for homogeneity and stability. Four external quality assessment exercises were carried out. Highly esteemed laboratories from all over the world served as reference laboratories. Web conferences after each external quality assessment exercise functioned as a new and effective tool to improve analytical performance, to build capacity and to educate less experienced laboratories. Of the 38 laboratories participating in the quality assurance exercises 14 laboratories qualified for cadmium, 14 for creatinine, 9 for cotinine, 7 for phthalate metabolites and 5 for bisphenol A in urine. In the last of the four external quality assessment exercises the laboratories that qualified for DEMOCOPHES performed the determinations in urine with relative standard deviations (low/high concentration) of 18.0/2.1% for cotinine, 14.8/5.1% for cadmium, 4.7/3.4% for creatinine. Relative standard deviations for the newly emerging biomarkers were higher, with values between 13.5 and 20.5% for bisphenol A and between 18.9 and 45.3% for the phthalate metabolites. Plausibility control of the HBM results of all participating countries disclosed analytical shortcomings in the determination of Cd when using certain ICP/MS methods. Results were corrected by reanalyzes. The COPHES/DEMOCOPHES project for the first time succeeded in performing a harmonized pan-European HBM project. All data raised have to be regarded as utmost reliable according to the highest international state of the art, since highly renowned laboratories functioned as reference laboratories. The procedure described here, that has shown its success, can be used as a blueprint for future transnational, multicentre HBM projects.

U2 - 10.1016/j.ijheh.2013.12.002

DO - 10.1016/j.ijheh.2013.12.002

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 24405937

VL - 217

SP - 653

EP - 661

JO - International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health

JF - International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health

SN - 1438-4639

IS - 6

ER -